For Heartland members who are willing to keep an eye on their electric usage during peak times in the summer, the Peak Savers rate provides more control over your bill than ever before. On April 1, 2022, this became the default rate option for non-prepaid Heartland consumer-members.
- Service availability charge: $39
- Energy charge: $0.101510 per kWh
- Peak charge: $2 per kW used during the consumer-member’s monthly peak hour (hour of highest electric usage)
- Peak charge only occurs in June, July, August, and September
- Peak hour will only be calculated on Heartland-declared Peak Days
- Peak hour can only occur between 3 and 8 p.m.
- Peak Days will never occur on weekends or holidays
- For each summer month, the peak charge of $2 per kW will be calculated by examining the consumer-member’s hourly usage between 3 and 8 p.m. on Peak Days.
- Whichever one-hour increment has the highest usage will be used to calculate the peak charge.
- For example, if a consumer-member’s hour of highest usage is 10 kW from 4 to 5 p.m. on July 29, their peak charge for July would be $20 (10 kW × $2).
- The average Heartland consumer-member's highest usage during the summer peak is less than 6 kW, so their peak charge would be less than $12.
- Consumer-members can save money on their bills by spreading out their usage between 3 and 8 p.m. on Peak Days and avoiding using too many appliances at the same time.
For SmartHub Users
- Consumer-members on the Peak Savers rate who are enrolled in our free SmartHub service will receive an email or text notification the afternoon before a forecasted Peak Day advising them that they can save money on their bills by reducing usage from 3 to 8 p.m. the next day
- Consumer-members will receive email notifications by default, but will need to opt into text notifications through SmartHub if desired.
For Consumer-Members Not Enrolled in SmartHub
- Everyone who calls our office on Peak Days will receive an automated message from the phone system informing them that it is a peak day.
- For those who do not want to call in, it is suggested that they control their usage during 3 to 8 p.m. on any summer weekday where temperatures are expected to reach 90º F or higher.
The key to keeping your peak charge as low as possible is spreading out your usage on Peak Days between 3 and 8 p.m. so you're not drawing a lot of kW at once. See below for some practical tips for lowering usage:
- Cook dinner using a grill or a countertop appliance such as an air fryer, instant pot, or crock pot.
- Load the electric clothes dryer, but wait to run it until after 8 p.m.
- Load the dishwasher, but wait to run it until after 8 p.m.
- Pre-cool your home by running your air conditioner until the peak time starts at 3 p.m.
- If you have an electric water heater, avoid using a lot of hot water between 3 and 8 p.m.
- Avoid running your pool pump from 3 to 8 p.m.
- For those with electric vehicles, wait to charge them until after 8 p.m.
For more information, see our Energy Use Basics page.
Add Contacts in SmartHub
All Peak Alert notifications (email and text) run through our SmartHub system. Look below for step-by-step instructions for adding mobile numbers to SmartHub to receive Peak Alert messages.
- Log into the SmartHub app on your phone.
- Tap the "More" button at the lower right.
- On the "More" screen, tap "Settings".
- On the "Settings" screen, tap "Contact Methods".
- In the "ADD NEW CONTACT METHOD" area at the top of the "Contact Methods" screen, tap the Phone icon to add a phone number.
- Enter the phone number you wish to receive messages. Then be sure to toggle the "Receive text messages" switch to the on position, and tap "Continue".
- You will be presented with some terms and conditions related to text service and will then be asked to enter a verification code that will be sent to your phone via text. Once your phone number is confirmed, head back to the "Settings" page.
- On the "Settings" page, tap on "Manage Notifications."
- Tap on "On Demand". This is the section containing Peak Alert notifications.
- Tap on "Peak Alert" to manage the contacts that will receive these notifications.
- Any contacts you have added to your SmartHub account will appear here as options to receive Peak Alert notifications. Be sure to switch the toggle to the on position for any contacts you wish to receive these messages.
Congratulations - you're ready to receive Peak Alerts!
If you need assistance, please call us at (800) 835-9586.
- Log into SmartHub.
- Hover over the "Notifications" tab in the navigation bar, and then click on "Manage Contacts".
- Click "+ Add Phone Contact".
- Enter your phone number in the space provided, click the checkbox that says "Receive Text Messages", and click "Continue."
- Enter the verification code that was texted to your mobile phone and click "Save Contact". This phone number will now be available to use for any SmartHub messages of your choosing.
- Back on the navigation bar, hover over "Notifications" and then go to "Manage Notifications".
- Find and expand the "On Demand" section.
- Under "On Demand", locate "Peak Alert" under "Alert Type."
- Find and select the phone numbers and/or email addresses you would like to receive Peak Alert notifications. You can select more than one under each. When you're ready, click "Save Settings".
Congratulations - you're ready to receive Peak Day notifications!
If you need assistance, please call us at (800) 835-9586.
Info for Past Peak Savers Participants
To our past Peak Savers participants:
Thank you for helping keep our rates as low as possible through the Peak Savers program. We wanted to make sure you’re aware that Peak Savers has evolved into something a little different: our new default electric rate option.
If you haven’t already, please watch the short video further up the page to learn how it works.
Please note a few key differences from the old program:
- There are no bill credits involved; instead there is a Peak Charge based on your one hour of highest use during peak time on declared Peak Days.
- Peak Days will now be declared in all 4 summer months (June, July, August and September) in keeping with how we are billed by our energy supplier.
- All Peak Day notifications run through SmartHub, our free online customer support portal. If you’re already on SmartHub, you’re probably already receiving text and email notifications, but if not you can add as many contacts as you’d like using the step-by-step instructions further up the page.
We’ve also put together a quick video addressing some of the concerns we’ve heard from folks:
Things to Know About Peak Savers Video
If you have any questions or concerns, please email us or call our office at (800) 835-9586.